I love finding ways to avoid throwing things away. This time the daughter and I came up with a project to use a container full of pistachio shells I've been saving.

This past Easter we had leftover egg dye that we didn't want to go to waste. So we dug out the nut shells and dyed some of them. Then we began contemplating what to do with them. Daughter is planning to make a bracelet, but I had other plans.

I wanted hair falls. The kind tribal belly dancers wear. To me, the pistachio shells look very similar to the cowrie shells.

Well, maybe from a great distance.

As you can see in this pic above, I also made one using pop tabs. I tried a bunch of different ways to string the shells and tabs. I'm working on yet another different variation for the tabs.

I realize I didn't use many of the dyed shells on this pair of hair falls. I will be making others, but wanted to experiment first.

This was a really fun project. If you want to read more about the hair falls, check out my craft blog here. I also talk about the egg and shell dying here, And, the pop tabs are on my "tabistry" blog here.

As an added bonus, the shells made a nice pattern on the papers we dried them on. I think I'm going to use it as end sheets for a hand bound journal.

Just received a great swap package today from oohmybees (aka: Crafterella) today. Yippee! More goodies to post about! It's been like Christmas over here!

She's an awesome knitter! She knitted me a really wonderful hood! It has fasteners and looks like a capelet from the front...

...but when I need it, I can just pull the hood over my head. She was a little upset about the size/fit when she was making it, but I think its great and love it. It's gonna look awesome with my steampunk outfits!

She also crocheted me a beautiful bonus neck warmer just in case the hood didn't fit. Shhh....Don't tell her, but I'd have been happy with just the neck warmer. But, I wouldn't part with either.

I also got one of her really cool "Instant Cemeteries" that are so popular on Etsy. They are foam core backed tombstones and other grave settings that each stand on their own and are stored in the matching decorative paint can. So clever. It's even better in person. Can't wait to set these out for Halloween. Might even have to set them out year round!

She sent not one but TWO necklaces. My mom's been wanted one of her "Mokume Gane Amulet" container necklaces since our last swap two years ago. Yay! She sent one for her birthday this month! Mom's a happy camper! The pretty purple bottle necklace is for storing wishes. She included some tiny sheets of paper to write wishes on to put inside. It's precious.

Take a look at these coin envelopes she stamped with custom stamps that she made. Really cool. I love the gears and the peacock eye.

If that wasn't enough, she also included a Bellydance Costuming Book. I'm sure it will inspire and help us make some fabulous outfits.

I'm going to say it's a "Spider-fan Fish". We see 'em all the time around here. Yep.

My daughter insisted she wanted to make a "tabistry", or pop tab, spider together for our entry in this "Back to Basics" challenge weaving tabs together with chenille stem.

She even drew up the plans for it:

We even made it open on top to hold things like candy and such. (It was going to be a yarn ball holder. You know, so you don't have to chase the ball around the floor while you're knitting, etc...)

And, here it is again in all its pop tab, pipe cleaner, pompom glory:

However, being a "tabistry" weaving, nut already, I had my heart set on making paper folding fans using popsicle sticks, instead. So I went ahead and made some:

By now you're probably wondering how this spider became a fish, right? Or not. Well, I'll tell you anyway. Unfortunately, the rules state we can only have on entry. It was either the spider-fan fish or a "fan-holding spider container".

...MJ if you could post a pic of it I would be grateful. It is too pretty not to show off!Thank you, thank you for all the wonderful things you made. I love everything and feel so spoiled!I have to mention that we had a small dinner party for the DH's birthday last Saturday and I had my boo't and spell book displayed. Everyone was oohing and aahing over them! You rock girl!!

Yay! So glad you like everything, and the boot and book were a hit at your dinner party.

Here's a pic of the mask that my daughter helped decorated:

Can't let it go unposted. Daughter wouldn't forgive us. I posted more about it and the other items on my blog. Thanks so much for posting, Cackle. You rock, too!

Just finished a new Spellbook by request for a personal swap. The pages are removable like a scrapbook tied in with ribbon.

The cover is made mostly out of cereal box cardboard covered in painted tissue paper and stained. I made a previous one that was covered in brown paper. I drew b/w images that I printed and transferred to the cover using nail polish remover. Then I painted them with acrylic paints and shaded in places with colored pencil.

The pages are laser prints aged with watercolor paint and hand colored with markers and colored pencils. There were a total of 32 pages, I think. Each contained family/holiday recipes and various illustrations, poems, and songs of which many are my own work.

Since my swap partner mentioned that her b-day just happens to be on Nov. 2nd, or Day of the Dead, I created some custom pages just for the occasion. I included recipes for making sugar skulls, dead bead and pozole as well as a calavera, or humorous epitaph for myself.

You can see more of the new book on my blog here, along with the rest of the items I sent in the swap here.

This book was requested after I did a personal craft swap with MissingWillow, who expressed an interest in our family "spellbook" that I mentioned offhand. My sister helped me start compiling the original book for our daughters back in about 2006. We wanted them to have record of all the recipes they were served and songs they sang as children and a little history about where the recipes and songs came from. I've also started including some home remedies and unusual information to add interest. It's called the "Witches' Enchanted Book of S.P.I.D.E.R.S. (Spells, Potions, Incantations, Divination, Enchantments, Rituals, and Superstitions)". I decided to to make my partner her own book that she could add to and share with her some our our favorite pages.

You can see more pics and info of the book I made for MissingWillow on my blog here.

Thanks for looking! Hope I inspire someone to make their own "spellbook" for family recipes.

I just finished a personal swap with Cackle and just received from her. Saying "she spoiled me!", is an understatement! The box was ENORMOUS! And the crafty goodness seemed to have no end! Pardon me for being pic heavy. But, there are just SOOO many things that need to be shown.

Steampunk "Aura Detector" with Decorative Wooden Box:We've been attending many SP events lately and this is just perfect for me!. Love the box, too. I have a better pic of the Detector by itself:The little handle on the top spin freely.

Botanical Drawing for Spellbook:Simply stunning. The detail is wonderful! Will be an awesome addition to our spellbook.

"Household Dragon" with Decorative BoxAdorable polymer clay dragon. And the box is so detailed. She even decorated the inside. Very pretty. Daughter will want to claim the dragon, but it already has a home in my shelf next to these...

Potion Ingredient Bottles:I really love the labels. She is so meticulous with details. The "Fire Ant Venom" made me chuckle. Here in Texas we can keep that jar amply supplied.

Hand-hammered Fine Silver Bracelet and Earring SetI have a weakness for silver jewelry. These are beautiful. I will wear them with pride.

Felted Ornaments with Decorative BoxLovely decorative baubles for my sis, mom and me. She even sent extra parts so my daughter can assemble her own.

Keys, Chain and other componentsThis is a lovely copper toned chain with various dangles. Though it may need a wee bit of shortening, mom and I really like it "as is".

One of two Gorgeous Sari Fabrics:Beautiful black and gold fabric. There was also a pretty red one used as wrapping that can be glimpsed in the "Aura Detector" pic. I'm excited to find a use for these!

And, in case I missed something, here is a pic of everything together:My pics just can't do it all the justice it deserve. I love everything. She was really generous and has excellent taste. So glad we did this swap. And, I hope she likes the few items I made her as much.

Strangely, she was a Christmas gift to my daughter. Her father and I agreed on a challenge to make our own gifts this year. and NOT buy any supplies. He made an awesome cardboard dollhouse.

Batsy and her pet "Batley" (daughter named them) may look vaguely familiar to those of you with kids. She's a very distant cousin of "Draculaura" from Monster High. She and her clothes are almost entirely made from remnant polar fleece I had around. Even her hair (removable wig) is polar fleece strips. I made her a dress, coat, skirt/shirt set, apron and an extra skirt. The coffin is made out of cereal box cardboard and some remnant gold satin.

My daughter was thrilled with her. Her favorite part about her was the bite marks I put on her neck. Yes, my daughter is a wee bit odd, I guess like me. She stores her in her coffin during the days and sleeps with her at night. I think I need to make Batsy some pajamas, huh? I've got a few more pics on my blog.